 James 4:13-15 "13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist known for inventing dynamite once arose from sleep to read the published headline in the local newspaper, "Nobel dies having invented the single most deadly weapon of all time..." The newspaper had mistaken him for someone else; but having had the opportunity to read his own epitaph he purposed he would not allow his invention to define the rest of his life. He decided to spend the remainder of his days striving for peace in the land. He once said, "I believe every person should have opportunity to read their own life's story as told by others so that they may then decide what changes to make before they die." I want you to notice some truths about time as it relates to periods or moments of life. First, we cannot go back in time and relive the good moments of life. As much as we would all like to go back and live again those moments of great joy and happiness, it is impossible to do so. Secondly, we cannot go back and redo the moments when we had a lapse of judgment and made silly mistakes. Some of us may have even made great mistakes, but it is impossible to go back and fix those actions, words or missed opportunities. Lastly, and most importantly, we can redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). We can take the time we have left and make the very most of it fulfilling the will of God for our lives. I also want you to notice exactly what time is as it relates to the word of God: Time is -
With every tick and tock of the clock time moves forward. With every passing moment we all move ever closer to eternity where time will seize. Time waits for no man. I pray that everyone that reads this post will be reminded of how fragile life is as it relates to time.
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 Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
It is an interesting and important fact that we humans can only think of one thing at a time at any given moment. The mind cannot dwell or meditate on multiple things "at one time" though your mind may race across many thoughts; those thoughts come and go like an old still frame projection reel going through the slides. If you don't believe me, just try it! Your mind will hop back and forth from one thing to another with poor results of focusing in on either thought. The Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit capitalize on this particularity of our minds in the above mentioned verse. They twain instruct us to fix the thoughts of our minds solely upon the positive things and leave no room for the negative thoughts of life. We can all testify that life is filled with much negativity and that even those of us that are saved, if we are not careful, can find ourselves consumed with the thoughts of troubles, turmoils and trials. Let it not be so... When we learn to exercise positive thinking we will find many areas of life to which it will begin to greatly impact: (Philippians Chapter 4) 1) Our Social Life - (vs.1-2) 2) Our Spiritual Life - (vs. 3-5) 3) Our Secular Life - (vs.6) 4) Our Secret Life - (vs.7-8) When we learn to exercise positive thinking others will see the change in the character we display to those around us: (Philippians Chapter 4) 1) It Makes Us Helpful - (vs.3) 2) It Makes Us Happy - (vs.4) 3) It Makes Us Holy - (vs.5) Someone once said, "Sow a thought and reap an action. Sow an action and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap an eternal destiny." It is the same principle that embodied the old proverb, "for want of a nail a shoe was lost. For want of a shoe a horse was lost. For want of a horse a man was lost. For want of a man a company was lost. For want of a company a battle was lost. For want of a battle a kingdom was lost." It is then no marvel as to what motivated the Holy Spirit to impress the Apostle Paul to write unto us to, "take heed to your thoughts..." |
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